Languages, Literatures, & Cultures Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2785
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Item THE ROLE OF RULES, EXAMPLES AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THE ACQUISITION OF DECLARATIVE AND PROCEDURAL SECOND LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE(2016) Kachinske, Ilina; DeKeyser, Robert M.; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The relevance of explicit instruction has been well documented in SLA research. Despite numerous positive findings, however, the issue continues to engage scholars worldwide. One issue that was largely neglected in previous empirical studies - and one that may be crucial for the effectiveness of explicit instruction - is the timing and integration of rules and practice. The present study investigated the extent to which grammar explanation (GE) before practice, grammar explanation during practice, and individual differences impact the acquisition of L2 declarative and procedural knowledge of two grammatical structures in Spanish. In this experiment, 128 English-speaking learners of Spanish were randomly assigned to four experimental treatments and completed comprehension-based task-essential practice for interpreting object-verb (OV) and ser/estar (SER) sentences in Spanish. Results confirmed the predicted importance of timing of GE: participants who received GE during practice were more likely to develop and retain their knowledge successfully. Results further revealed that the various combinations of rules and practice posed differential task demands on the learners and consequently drew on language aptitude and WM to a different extent. Since these correlations between individual differences and learning outcomes were the least observed in the conditions that received GE during practice, we argue that the suitable integration of rules and practice ameliorated task demands, reducing the burden on the learner, and accordingly mitigated the role of participants’ individual differences. Finally, some evidence also showed that the comprehension practice that participants received for the two structures was not sufficient for the formation of solid productive knowledge, but was more effective for the OV than for the SER construction.Item The Influences of Aptitude, Learning Context, and Language Difficulty Categorization on Foreign Language Proficiency(2015) Wagener, Thomas Robert; Ross, Steven; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research investigates the ability of predictive measures to differentiate level of language proficiency among learners across languages, language categories, and learning contexts. It fills a gap in the literature pertaining to language categorization and demonstrates differential predictive ability of language learning aptitude measures depending on the language being learned. In addition, it challenges a default assumption that aptitude and other individual difference measures ought to be context independent. This is done through an analysis of the effects of context on the predictive ability of individual difference measures where results show the differing predictive patterns between a foreign language classroom, a domestic intensive instruction setting, and a study abroad program. Finally, several individual difference measures that have shown some past success in differentiating foreign language outcomes for learners are examined to analyze incremental predictive validity. Measures that demonstrate incremental predictive validity are useful in developing selection protocols for language learning programs. Additionally, measures that show differential incremental predictive validity across language categories and contexts may indicate a potential for aligning learners within a category and context to benefit learner outcomes. This research provides evidence to support claims that suggest an interactive role between the learner and context leading to differential learning outcomes based on individual differences. It highlights the fact that predictive models of proficiency are not consistent within language category, nor are they consistent across language category boundaries. It shows that a measure of general cognitive memory may be the best indicator of long term language learning success across languages. Finally, it replicates earlier findings that the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) provides incremental predictive validity in the face of other individual difference measures indicating that it remains a useful predictor of language learning performance.